Pennsylvania Instructional I Certificates

Pennsylvania Instructional I Certificates: A Series of 3 Tests

1.Test 1: ACT/SAT, PAPA or CORE (Any combination of satisfactory scores)

Teacher Education Majors (TEMs) must pass through the Gate 1. In order to do this, a variety of requirements must be met. One of these requirements is the successful completion of a series of Basic Skills assessments (much like the SAT- reading, writing, math). The two courses that satisfy the Basic Skills Assessment requirement in math are MA 1125 and MA 2203.

Certification information is available on the PDE website.

Fee Waiver Information

Test 2: Content Area Testing, PECT or Praxis (depending on certification)

After successfully completing the Basic Skills assessment (first series of certification tests;either the PAPA or the Praxis CORE) and passing the other Gate I requirements (48 credit hours, 3.0 GPA, 3 credits of English Literature, 3 Credits of English Composition, 6 credits of mathematics, clearances, Introduction to Education), Teacher Education Certification Candidates (TECC) are on track to student teach.In order to student teach, Gate II requirements must be fulfilled.These requirements include a 3.0 GPA, clearances, and successful completion of coursework.Although not required until a student seeks certification, MU recommends that all students successfully pass the second series of Pennsylvania assessments (PECT or Praxis) directly before student teaching.Students seeking certification in Early Childhood Elementary Education PreK-4 or in both ECEE PreK-4 and Special Education PreK-8 will need to take the PECT exam (see sample chart below for specifics - check PDE for recent updates to the sample chart below). Teacher Education Certification Candidates seeking K-12 certification or 7-12 certification will need to take the Praxis (see chart below for specifics). Information about qualifying scores for content tests is available on PDE's Web Site. Please note the sliding scale based on each candidate's GPA. Choose #2 Instructional Certification Areas.

*** Please note that this information may change as PDE directs.Always check PDE's webpage before taking any tests.Test 3: Performance Based Assessment, Student Teaching

Test 3: Performance Based Assessment, Student Teaching

Student teaching is the final assessment (performance based) for Pennsylvania's Instructional I Certificate.Successful completion of student teaching is documented on the PDE430 form.This form represents the student's performance and is completed by the University supervisor twice (formative and summative) during student teaching.

Teacher Education Certification Candidates (TECC) who successfully complete student teaching and pass the two sets of assessments (as outlined above) will be able to apply for certification through TIMS (PDE's on-line application process) when they have met all of the Gate and course requirements. Information about the TIMS process can be found at the PDE website.

Students seeking to apply for certification should spend time reading about the application process prior to logging into TIMS. The above link will provide helpful information that will be needed to navigate TIMS. Please do not attempt to apply for certification through TIMS without first viewing the User's Guide provided (at the above link). It is important to record an accurate GPA on the certification application.Do not round the GPA. An incorrect GPA could potentially delay an application.Note: Students should not complete the TIMS application process until their degree is conferred.